Despite their solid start to the 2016-17 NFL season, the Los Angeles Rams now find themselves at.500 after consecutive losses.
Their most recent loss came at the hands of a very beatable Detroit Lions team. Despite being in position to win the game on the final drive, Case Keenum’s costly pick instead gave the ball back to the Lions for the victory formation.
Rather than taking the loss and hitting the showers, the Los Angeles defense decided to bullrush the kneeling offense. According to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN, head coach Jeff Fisher says that call did not come from the sidelines”
“There’s been some criticism with respect to that,” Fisher said. “This approach did not come from the sideline. It was not a call. It was not something we practiced, or that we preach. I think it was a byproduct of frustration, some things that Aaron [Donald] endured during the game, and the players took it upon themselves to do it.We’ll address it.”
Donald did not say specifically what it was that triggered him at the end of the game, only crediting it to “a lot of thing,” according to Scott DeCamp of MLive.com. Regardless, Fisher made it clear there is no room for these kind of antics:
“I talked to coach [Jim] Caldwell after the game and apologized and said I’d get to the bottom of it. The game’s over, the game’s over. Pay respect to your oppononet. But you guys don’t realize all the stuff that goes on inside, up front, between the offensive linemen and the defensive linemen. We’ll address it and it’s unlikely to happen again.”
Caldwell declined to elaborate any thoughts on the behavior of the Rams defense following the game.
